Habritella africana, Mitroiu, 2022

Mitroiu, Mircea-Dan, 2022, The Afrotropical species of Habritella Girault & Dodd (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 813 (1), pp. 155-172 : 160-162

Habritella africana sp. nov.

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Fig. 1

Diagnosis

Both sexes

Gena not hollowed at mouth corner ( Fig. 1C ). Clypeus striate, not well delimited. Clypeal margin with two large lobes separated by deep incision ( Fig. 1C ). Mandibles not unusually large ( Fig. 1C ). Pronotal collar with anterior margin very finely carinate ( Fig. 1A, G ). Scutellum longer than mesoscutum. Toruli much higher than centre of face ( Fig. 1C ). Fore wing ( Fig. 1F ) sparsely setose, speculum large, reaching stigmal vein thus making admarginal setae on ventral side of wing easily visible. Stigma not very large, its height less than minimum distance from stigma to PMV. All coxae metallic ( Fig. 1A–B ). Hind femur dark, with metallic reflections ( Fig. 1A–B ).

Female

Claval apex without spicula ( Fig. 1G ). Metasoma ( Fig. 1E ) with gt1 and gt3 with their posterior margin not emarginate or incised; gt4 distinctly enlarged, much larger than gt3 ( Fig. 1E ). Head in frontal view without contrasting colours, gradually becoming darker above toruli ( Fig. 1C ). Metasoma mostly violet ( Fig. 1E ). Body setation mostly light brown, not conspicuous ( Fig. 1A–C ).

Male

Flagellar setae erect ( Fig. 1H ). Clava with very short spike-like terminal process ( Fig. 1H ). Metasoma dark, without a dorsal pale spot.

Etymology

The specific epithet refers to this being the first record of the genus in the Afrotropical region.

Type material

Holotype TOGO • ♀; “Togo: 10 km NW Kpaliné, 17.xii.1988, J. S. Noyes ”; NHMUK.

Allotype TOGO • ♂; same collection data as for holotype; NHMUK.

Additional paratype TOGO • 1 ♀; same collection data as for holotype; NHMUK .

Description

Female holotype

BODY LENGTH. 1.4 mm.

COLOUR. Head ( Fig. 1C ) blue green becoming bluish-black above toruli, including vertex and occiput. Eyes and ocelli dark brown. Antenna ( Fig. 1G ) reddish-brown, pedicel and flagellum dorsally slightly darker. Mandibles reddish-brown, teeth darker. Mesosoma bluish-black ( Fig. 1A, D ). Coxae as mesosoma. Trochanters, tibiae and tarsi except distal segment reddish-brown. Fore and mid femora brown, hind femur dark brown, with metallic reflections ( Fig. 1A ). Distal tarsal segment brown. Wings hyaline ( Fig. 1F ). Tegulae and venation brown. Metasoma mostly violet, with some blue reflections ( Fig. 1E ). Body setation mostly light brown, not conspicuous ( Fig. 1A, C ).

HEAD. Reticulate except clypeal region. Gena not hollowed at mouth corner ( Fig. 1C ). Clypeus not well delimited, striate. Clypeal margin with two large lobes separated by deep incision ( Fig. 1C ). Mandibles not unusually large ( Fig. 1C ). Toruli much higher than centre of face. Scrobes fairly deep. Scape reaching above level of vertex ( Fig. 1C ). Anelli transverse, all five funicular segments longer than wide, with moderately long setae. Claval apex without spicula ( Fig. 1G ). Relative measurements: head L: 25, W: 52, H: 42; eye H: 24, L: 16; POL: 11; OOL: 11; malar space: 11; scape L: 18, W: 2.5; pedicel L: 5.5, W: 3.5; pedicel plus flagellum L: 48; fu1 L: 6, W: 4.5; fu5 L: 5.5, W: 4.5; clava L: 13, W: 6.

MESOSOMA. Pronotal collar uniformly reticulate, anterior margin very finely carinate ( Fig. 1A, G ). Mesoscutum reticulate. Notauli barely visible among reticulation, occupying less than half the length of mesoscutum. Scutellum as coarsely reticulate as mesoscutum, frenal area not delimited ( Fig. 1D ). Dorsellum very short, groove-like ( Fig. 1D ). Propodeal median area more superficially reticulate than scutellum, laterally delimited by sinuate plicae reaching nucha. Posterior part of nucha mainly smooth ( Fig. 1D ). Central part of prepectus finely reticulate. Mesopleuron ( Fig. 1B ) with two reticulate areas: a large elongate one in anterior part, and an oval, much smaller one, in posterior part; adjacent areas smooth. Metapleuron finely reticulate, separated from propodeal callus by deep groove. Fore wing ( Fig. 1F ) with basal cell, including basal vein, bare. Costal cell with an irregular line of setae in distal half. Disc sparsely setose. Speculum large, gradually narrowing and reaching stigmal vein. Admarginal setae on ventral side of wing in one regular row. Stigmal height much shorter than minimum distance from stigma to PMV ( Fig. 1F ). Relative measurements: mesosoma L: 51, W: 40, H: 34; mesoscutum L: 17, W: 40; scutellum L: 22, W: 21; propodeum L: 10; fore wing L: 100, W: 48; MV: 20; SV: 11; PMV: 16; stigma height: 4; distance from stigma to PMV: 6.

METASOMA ( Fig. 1E ). Acute at both ends, not collapsing dorsally. Gt1 greatly produced posteriorly, its hind margin entire. Gt3 with posterior margin entire. Gt4 greatly enlarged, much larger than gt3. Relative measurements: metasoma L: 74, W: 30; gt1 L: 18, W: 13; gt2 L: 2, W: 15; gt3 L: 7, W: 25; gt4 L: 24, W: 30; gt5 L: 6, W: 25; gt6 L: 5, W: 20; syntergum L: 10, W: 14.

Male allotype

Differs from the female holotype mainly in the following. Body length: 1.25 mm. Metasoma uniformly dark brown, with some blue-green metallic reflections mainly on gt1. Antenna 11263. Flagellar setae slightly longer, denser and more erect ( Fig. 1H ). Clava with very short spike-like terminal process ( Fig. 1H ). MV 1.5× SV. Stigma larger ( Fig. 1B ). Metasoma much narrower anteriorly than posteriorly, distinctly shorter than head plus mesosoma, distal tergites partly retracted. None of the tergites enlarged. Metasoma L: 52, W: 25.

Variation

Females

Body length: 1.4–1.6 mm. POL 1.0–1.1 × OOL. MV 1.6–1.8 × SV. Metasoma length 2.4–2.5× width.

Distribution

Togo.

Hosts

Unknown.

Figures

Fig. 1. Habritella africana sp. nov. A, C–G. Holotype, ♀ (NHMUK). B, H. Allotype, ♂ (NHMUK). A. Habitus in lateral view. B. Habitus in lateral view. C. Head in frontal view. D. Detail of mesosoma in dorsal view. E. Metasoma in dorsal view. F. Fore wing in dorsal view. G. Antenna in lateral view. H. Antenna in lateral view (inset: detail of clava indicating the terminal process).